Where Will the Hawkeyes be Bowling?

The Iowa Hawkeyes wrapped up their regular season as they’ve done for much of the last decade – with a win over Nebraska. Unlike the previous two years where Iowa had to squeak by on last-second field goals, this year’s Black Friday showdown was a no-doubter with the Hawkeyes demolishing the Huskers 40-16 in Lincoln.

While that wraps up Iowa’s regular season, there’s still one more Hawkeye football game to be played this year as Iowa is bowl eligible for the 13th consecutive year after finishing the regular season at 8-4 overall.

Where, exactly, the Hawkeyes will be bowling is still up in the air, but only slightly. Iowa finished the year 6th in the Big Ten standings. Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon figure to make the College Football Playoff while USC and Michigan are likely to be left out at 9-3. That puts Iowa as the third Big Ten team in the pecking order for bowls outside the CFP.

For the Big Ten, assuming those top three teams all make the College Football Playoff, that leaves the following pecking order for USC, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Penn State – in that order.

• No. 1 New Year’s Six. The champion goes to either the Cotton Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl or the Peach Bowl unless they are selected for the College Football Playoff.

• No. 2 The Citrus Bowl vs SEC

• No. 3 The ReliaQuest Bowl vs SEC

• No. 4 The Las Vegas Bowl vs Pac-12 (odd-numbered years)

• No. 5 The Music City Bowl vs SEC

• No. 6 The Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs ACC

• No. 7 The Rate Bowl vs Big 12 No. 6

• No. 8 The Quick Lane Bowl vs MAC

Running through the pecking order, it seems pretty clear Iowa is locked in to the ReliaQuest Bowl. But it’s worth pointing out the bowl pecking order is their selection order, not necessarily that they are locked in to taking the team in that spot. So it’s possible one of the higher bowls would drop down and take the Hawkeyes, though in a year where the two available teams above Iowa are both big national brands in USC and Michigan, that seems very unlikely.

A more plausible scenario would be the ReliaQuest, which was formerly known as the Outback Bowl, opts to skip over Iowa for a team like Washington, which has never been given their prior bowl tie-ins as a member of the PAC-12. On the positive side for the Hawkeyes here, Iowa hasn’t been to the ReliaQuest/Outback since their 2019 win over Mississippi State. Illinois and Minnesota have both been more recently.

Even so, in a world where Iowa gets passed up for the ReliaQuest, they’re a virtual lock for the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, which has next priority. The Hawkeyes have never played in the Vegas Bowl. Since being added to the Big Ten rotation (in odd years only, with the SEC taking even years while the Big Ten goes to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl) in 2020, only Wisconsin, Northwestern and USC have played in the Vegas Bowl.

It’s worth noting, however, USC’s trip a season ago was related to their former PAC-12 tie-in, not as part of the Big Ten deal. Washington, who sits right behind Iowa in the Big Ten standings, last went to the Las Vegas Bowl in 2019 as a member of the PAC-12.

With that backdrop, here’s a rundown of where several major news outlets are projecting the Hawkeyes to go bowling, including potential opponents.

Media Outlet

Bowl Projection

Opponent

Date

Time

ESPN – Schlabach

ReliaQuest Bowl

Tennessee

Wednesday, December 31

11am CT

ESPN – Bonagura

Las Vegas Bowl

Utah

Wednesday, December 31

2:30pm CT

On3

ReliaQuest Bowl

Vanderbilt

Wednesday, December 31

11am CT

CBS

Las Vegas Bowl

Utah

Wednesday, December 31

2:30pm CT

Sports Illustrated

ReliaQuest Bowl

Tennessee

Wednesday, December 31

11am CT

The Athletic

ReliaQuest Bowl

Texas

Wednesday, December 31

11am CT

USA Today

ReliaQuest Bowl

Texas

Wednesday, December 31

11am CT